Stretcher for leather or analogous material.



E. O. GREULIGH dIzT. G. STEINKE. STRETOHER FOR LEATHER 0R ANALOGOUS MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 12, 1910. 988,33 1

Patented Apr. 4, 191 1.

2 BHEETB-BHBET 1.

, I f 7 WW E. G. GREULICH & T. G. STBINKE. STRETCHER FOR LEATHER 0R ANALOGOUS MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.12, 1910.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

2 BHEETS-EHEET 2 254mm Mm w @Z mm To all whom it may concern:

In the drawings Figure 1 represents'an UNITED sTATEs A, PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. GREULICH AND THEODORE G. STEINKE, OF; MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

STRETGHER FOR LEATHER 0R ANALOGOUS MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed December -12, 1910. Serial No. 596,944.

Be it known that we, EDWARD 0-.GliEULICH and THnoDoRE G. STEINKE, both citizens of the" United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stretchers for 'Leather or Analogous Material; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of our inventioais to provide simple, durable and efficient stretching machines especially designed to be used in connection with stretching leather or hides, the arrangement and construction being such that one or more layers of leather stock may be independently and yieldably secured to a polygonal endless frame composed of roller sections'in gear connection, whereby the sec-' tions may be rotated to cause the desired stretch of the stock in all directions.

With the above object in View our invention consists in certain peculiarities of con- .struction and combination of parts to be hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

elevation of a stretcher frame embodying the features of our-invention, with parts broken away and. parts in section to illustrate certam structural features; F 1g. 2, a cross-section of the same as indicated by line 22 of Fig.-..1; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail sectional elevation of a fragment of the frame, and

Fig. 4, a detail cross-section as indicated byline 4-4 of Fig; 3, the cross-section showing the stretcher rame is composed, of a main 6, 6, the opposite ends of longitudinal shaft 1 that is journaled at its opposite ends in boxes 2 of coupling brackets 3 and 3, the shaft being held against lateral movement in its boxes by collars 4, 4, and the hub of a beveled gear-wheel 5, together. with a collar 5 that is utilized as a substitute for the beveled wheel hub which tive couplings, the opposite ends of each of said shafts being provided with beveled gearwheels 10 and 11. The beveled gear-wheel 10 of shaft 6 is meshed with the beveled gear-wheel 5 of the main shaft 1, while the opposite gear-wheels 11 of each of the transverse shafts 6, 6", are meshed with gearwheels 12 that are carried by obliquely disposed corner shafts 13, 13, the gear-wheels being secured to ends of the latter. Ends of the shafts 13 and 13 are journaled inboxes 14 of the intermediate brackets 8 and '8 respectively, the opposite ends of said shafts being journaled in boxes 15 of coupling brackets 3 and 3, it being understood that these shafts are held against end-thrust by collars 16 in a similar manner to that described inconneetion with the "main shaft. That end of the corner shaft 13whic h is journaled in the couplingbracket 3, carries 3", 3. This last named shaft 1 completes a continuous polygonal frame, the said shaft being provided with thrust collars 20 and the beveled gear-wheel 18 that meshes with the beveled gear-wheel 17 of the cornershaft 13. 'Theopposite ends of shafts 1 and 13 that are incased in the housing 3" are each provided with a set collar 22, 23,respectively, I

Thus continuous gear connection between the shafts 'is broken at this junction, 'whereby the device as a whole'coinprises two independently driven sets of shafts, the source of drive bein hereinafter described.

Motion 1s imparted to one set of shafts b a beveled gear-wheel 25, in meshed engage. ment with the gear-wheel 11 of shaft 6, the

gear-wheel 25 being secured to a stud 26 that is journaled in a box 27 of the coupling bracket 3 the stud being provided with a hand-crank 28, whereby power is applied,

The opposite series of, shafts is driven through the miter-gears 5 and 10 respectively incased in coupling-bracket 3, power being applied by means of a-hand-crank 28' that is secured to an extension of-shaft 1, which extension-is j ournaled in said coupling bracket. Both thest'ud 26' and shaft 1 also a carry ratchet-wheels 29 that are'engaged by spring-pawls 29 whereby the saidstud and shaft are locked against movement in one direction incidental to a stretching operation.

i I From the foregoing description it will be fto the first leather blank.

seen that the several shafts, in conjunction with the coupling-brackets which form bearings therefor, constitute a rigid endless frame, the coupling brackets being held are provided with a series of key-hole slots 3 33, through each of which is passed a belt or chain 34:, the inner end of which chain is secured to a drum '35 that is rotatably mounted upon its respective shaft. Rotation of the drum is controlled by an elliptical .spring 36 coiled around the shaft and having one end secured thereto, the opposite .end of the springbeingfastened to a pin 37 that extends from one face of the drum.

The outer end of each chain carries a coiled spring 38 that is linked to a grip 39, each of which grips is shown being provided with a hinged jaw 40, between which jaw and the edge of the body portion of the grip the leather stock to be stretched is held.

In order to add rigidity'to the several tubular rollers the same may be reinforced at intervals by collars 41 that are similar to the thrust collars described, being mount ed upon the several shafts and adapted to fit the inner bore of the rollers snugly.

It should be understood that while we have shown a limited number of spring-controlled drums and attaching grips that, in practice, the several shafts are provided with a suflicient number of drums suitably s aced apart topractically fill up the length 0 each shaft, whereby the capacity of the stretcher is increased to its maximum. Hence, if two or more hidesior leather blanks are to be stretched, they can be accommodated by adjusting the same to the stretcher one above the-other as shown in .Fig. 2, in which instance one series of grips are drawn out over their seats upon the rollers and affixed Thereafter a second set of grips is-similarly adjusted to the next blanks and so on until the full capacity the result that the rollers are revolved, causing the chains to enter the restricted throat portion of their several key-hole slots,

whereby they are locked or gripped. Furgainst motion or twisting by their boxesther rotation of the rollers causes the chains to wind thereupon and the stock is stretched in all directions simultaneously, the coiled springs 38 permitting yieldwhereby compensation is had with r'eference to uneven stretch of the stockat any particular point. When moist hides are stretched the coiled springs'also serve, by yielding, to compensate for shrinkage in said hides incidental to drying out of the same, it being understood that said hides remain in the-stretcher until cured.

We claim: 1. A polygonal sided stretcher" comprising a series of angularly disposed shafts, coupling brackets having boxes inwhich the opposite ends of the shafts are journaled, driving means connecting the shaft-ends within the coupling-boxes, apertured tubular -rollers mounted upon the shafts, spring-controlledv drums loosely mounted upon-the shafts within the tubular rollers, belts secured to'the drums and extending through the roller apertures, and grips carried by the belts.

2; A'polygofial sided stretcher comprising a series of angularly disposed shafts, coupling-brackets having boxes .in. which the opposite ends of the shafts are journaled, gears connecting certain of the shafts in in dependent series, the gears being mounted within the coupling brackets, and a plurality opposite ends ,of the shafts are journaled,

, beveled gears connecting certain of the shafts in series, aperturred tubular rollers mounted upon the shafts, spring-controlled drums loosely mounted upon the shafts within the tubular rollers, belts secured to the drums and extending through the roller apertures, and grips in yieldingv connection with the belts.

' In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto setour hands at Milwaukee in the county ,of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses. I

EDWARD C. GREULIOH.

THEO. G. STEINKE.

Witnesses: Y

GEO. W. YOUNG CASANDRE LY'OUNG. 

